Category Archives: Infrastructure

Whatever the NSW election result, metros are the winner

Posted on 23 March, 2023 by Alex

As I write this post on the eve of the 2023 NSW state election, the major parties are neck-and-neck in the opinion polls. I’m not going to attempt to pick the result but there is already one clear winner, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Growth, Infrastructure, metro, Planning, Population, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney Metro, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sydney: why have one metro system when you can have two (or more)? Part 2

Posted on 1 February, 2023 by Alex

In the first post in this series I took a look at the significant differences between Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport (Metro WSA) which will connect the new airport to the Sydney Trains network at St Marys, and the combined … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, metro, Planning, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney Metro, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Labor’s High Speed Rail proposal – too far, or not far enough?

Posted on 2 January, 2022 by Alex

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese today announced that Labor would “make fast rail connections between Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle a reality” and establish a High-Speed Rail Authority if it wins government in next year’s federal election. Unfortunately, it’s hard … Continue reading →

Posted in Fast Rail, Infrastructure, Public Transport, Rail, Regions, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

NSW High-Speed Rail: following Victoria’s example?

Posted on 17 December, 2018 by Alex

The announcement by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian that the NSW government “would start work on a fast rail network in the next term of government” has already been criticised as being a repeat reading from a very hackneyed script. True to form, the announcement … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Population, Public Transport, Regions, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bradfield, 75 years on – part 5: using Bradfield’s abandoned tunnels – trains, trams or tourism?

Posted on 3 October, 2018 by Alex

I had intended to write a postscript to my series on the ideas of the engineer John Bradfield and their impact on Sydney in commemoration of the recent 75th anniversary of his death on 23 September 1943, but the NSW … Continue reading →

Posted in Bradfield, Infrastructure, metro, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Bradfield, 75 years on – part 2: “the only woman present” – Kathleen Butler and the Bridge

Posted on 9 August, 2018 by Alex

As the 75th anniversary of John Bradfield’s death on 23 September 1943 approaches, I’m writing a series of posts exploring some of the ideas outlined in his 1924 engineering doctorate thesis and their relevance for Sydney a century later. Please … Continue reading →

Posted in Bradfield, History, Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bradfield, 75 years on – part 1: the Science of Engineering

Posted on 31 July, 2018 by Alex

Recently I spent 10 minutes or so at Sydney’s busy suburban Strathfield Station while changing trains in the evening peak hour. As I waited I watched the synchronised dance across the station’s eight platforms as double-deck trains arrived, disgorged commuters, … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth, History, Infrastructure, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Martin Place – the “new” Sydney Central?

Posted on 18 July, 2018 by Alex

There have been a few developments since my earlier posts on plans for the proposed Sydney Metro West, with a strong business sector push for the metro to provide a high-speed link between Sydney CBD and Parramatta and apparent confirmation of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sydney Metro’s commercialised future

Posted on 17 May, 2018 by Alex

What if the NSW government set up a new state-owned business corporation and handed it sweeping powers that duplicated those of several established authorities, including the power to prepare strategic plans, buy, develop and sell land, run other businesses (including bus services) and, incidentally, … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Planning, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sydney Metro West’s slow unveiling

Posted on 26 April, 2018 by Alex

The State Government’s continued gradual unveiling of station options for the Sydney Metro West line between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD is slowly revealing the final route, suggesting a middle path between a high-speed line and a traditional frequent-stopping metro. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments